what made you become vegetarian/vegan, if you don't have a problem sharing your story? do you feel it was a good choice? have there ever been times where you craved meat?
the main point to the thread...
my best friend is wanting to go vegan. she's already vegetarian, so it might not be a big problem for her. however... i fear for her health. like, she's really small (short and MAYBE 100 lbs and anemic) and if she's not getting the nutrients from meat because she doesn't eat it, will going vegan be good for her? i've heard not too many good things about being vegan, absolutely no offense to those who are vegan. im just kind of concerned and wondering what am i going to feed her when she comes over or when we go out. i could get away with cheese and other dairy products, but what now, lol? pretty sure there is nothing me or any of her friends are going to say to change her mind (except she would be giving up cheese), so... how can i prepare? -.-|||Well, I love vegetables, but I think the moment I really recognized I'd never be a vegetarian (the non-self-important word for vegan) was when an in-law stated that humans were naturally herbivores. He apparently short-circuited when I asked him why humans have canine teeth. So becoming vegan appears to severely impact your IQ.
And if you need further rationale, I'll quote one of your fellow Texans...
"Have you ever seen a healthy looking vegetarian? They look like ****! They're all gaunt and yellow. After a while, their bodies become intolerant of other things. I'll give you an example. I was out to lunch with a comedian friend of mine, and later in the day he said and I quote, 'I feel nauseous and I have a headache. That soup I had must have had beef broth in it.'...Your system's kickin' back... broth? You're a manly man, aren't you?"|||Quote:
Well, I love vegetables, but I think the moment I really recognized I'd never be a vegetarian (the non-self-important word for vegan) was when an in-law stated that humans were naturally herbivores. He apparently short-circuited when I asked him why humans have canine teeth. So becoming vegan appears to severely impact your IQ.
i love vegetables and fruits too (i cook with veggies all the time), but i need my meat. can't live without it.
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And if you need further rationale, I'll quote one of your fellow Texans...
"Have you ever seen a healthy looking vegetarian? They look like ****! They're all gaunt and yellow. After a while, their bodies become intolerant of other things. I'll give you an example. I was out to lunch with a comedian friend of mine, and later in the day he said and I quote, 'I feel nauseous and I have a headache. That soup I had must have had beef broth in it.'...Your system's kickin' back... broth? You're a manly man, aren't you?"
lol! ohh, how i agree with this so much. XD|||As long as she's getting protein and all necessary nutrients she should be fine...she'll likely need supplements to keep her intake of various vitamins/minerals at a healthy level.
I personally never saw the point of being vegan...you are so limited to what you can eat.|||I've been a vegetaian for a few years now and I'm glad I made the decision. The first couple of months was a bit weird and sometimes I felt like somethin was missing, but eventually those feelings went away and today I never feel the need for a steak, although I have to admit I do get a bit jealous on barbeques
I can't remember what it's called in english, but I eat pills that are supposed to partially make up for the nutrients/vitamins etc. vegetarians miss out on. I think the biggest concern is making sure you rearrange your food habits for a healthy vegetarian food intake. Just removing meat from your diet is not a good idea.
As for being vegan, it's something I've considered for myself but never really though about seriously doing it because, well, it's too much of a hassle. Though getting by without meat was tough? Try dairy products! Between meat, dairy and eggs it's so much of your average every-day food that you exclude, and it becomes even more important to make sure you make up what you loose in different kind of foods. I don't have any real "tips" as I've never been a vegan, but I can't stress the importance of a balanced food intake. This can be tough since as a normal "meat-eater" you do fine by just eating what you were raised to do without putting much thinking into it.
I'm not saying your friend is dumb and/or is not aware of this, but a lot of vegetarians I met while I was younger just excluded meat from their diet and started to eat just potatoes, pasta and ready-made/fast food, which is definitely not holding up in the long run. This is why I want to make such a big deal about making sure you compensate for the meat/dairy you don't want to eat, especially since you described your friend as a bit on the thin side already.
Also, even though almost every restaurant where I live have at least one vegetarian dish nowdays, don't count on finding anything vegan when going out for food, unless it's a specialized restaurant.
The most annoying thing is people, especially people you don't know that well, who can't/refuse to understand why you are a vegan/vegetarian and keep on asking questions like: "why?", "How can you not eat meat? I could not live without meat?" and "Doesn't this steak look sooo good? *flaps a steak around tour face*"
So the best thing I guess you can do for your fiend is to be supportive and try to understand why she would do it, even if it's nothing you would ever do. And while it sure is fun every now and then, don't make a grass-eater joke everytime you head for a snack
I wish you and your friend the best of luck if she goes trough with it.
zarf|||I was vegetarian for....5 years? You get totally used to it after a while.
But it did cause me weight problems, you have to be very strict. I also lost a lot of muscle, as keeping protein (that's the right one....right?) levels right in your body is pretty tricky.
But it can be ok! Try it
|||Humans are naturally omnivorous. Our bodies are meant to consume animal products; we can't even absorb plant B12 and our bodies don't typically produce enough of it (or the bacteria in our bodies, for you nitpickers). Unless you are very careful then protein deficiencies are easy to acquire on a vegan diet. Not to mention how gassy vegetarians tend to be.Eat meat. It's good for you.|||Quote:
The most annoying thing is people, especially people you don't know that well, who can't/refuse to understand why you are a vegan/vegetarian and keep on asking questions like: "why?", "How can you not eat meat? I could not live without meat?" and "Doesn't this steak look sooo good? *flaps a steak around tour face*"
{/flaps a steak around zarfen's face}
There's a huge difference between something like <cutting down>, and eliminating for the sake of Political Correct theology or some sort of self-identification belief. Personally, I'm arguing constantly with my spouse because she won't cut the massive amounts of meat/fat/sugar she serves the family. I'm the only one who's not overweight (ahem - make that "significantly") and her father is already diabetic.
I may love a good steak <once in a while>, and believe strongly that Americans get nowhere near the amount of vegetative nutrition that they should, but the far greater problem is the volume of garbage consumed...
- Taco Bell
- McDonald's chicken nuggets
- Blueberries
There's many more. Problem is, "natural" and "organic" can often be read as "expensive" and "shoddy".|||Shaigon--> i know. which is why im like, "Well... besides lettuce and beans, what CAN i give you?" i like being a good house host and make sure my guests are comfy and def well-fed. >.> but being vegan IS limited and im clueless at this point.
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I've been a vegetaian for a few years now and I'm glad I made the decision. The first couple of months was a bit weird and sometimes I felt like somethin was missing, but eventually those feelings went away and today I never feel the need for a steak, although I have to admit I do get a bit jealous on barbeques
I can't remember what it's called in english, but I eat pills that are supposed to partially make up for the nutrients/vitamins etc. vegetarians miss out on. I think the biggest concern is making sure you rearrange your food habits for a healthy vegetarian food intake. Just removing meat from your diet is not a good idea.
yes, she does take iron pills and maybe a couple of others.
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As for being vegan, it's something I've considered for myself but never really though about seriously doing it because, well, it's too much of a hassle. Though getting by without meat was tough? Try dairy products! Between meat, dairy and eggs it's so much of your average every-day food that you exclude, and it becomes even more important to make sure you make up what you loose in different kind of foods. I don't have any real "tips" as I've never been a vegan, but I can't stress the importance of a balanced food intake. This can be tough since as a normal "meat-eater" you do fine by just eating what you were raised to do without putting much thinking into it.
i know! like, it's one thing to exclude meat, but dairy too? that's what im worried about because say i bake a cake and it has milk and eggs in it. she won't eat it because of that. and same thing with bread and some wheat products that have eggs and milk in it. i don't think she eats eggs now (she uses the Egg Beater thingies; like, it comes in a carton... sec... this. pretty sure she eats this already.) and apparently, it's a good source of protein, but as a vegan would she eat this? and i bring up cake becuase we bake cakes for birthdays and special occasions. >.> and i use dairy in my cooking.
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I'm not saying your friend is dumb and/or is not aware of this, but a lot of vegetarians I met while I was younger just excluded meat from their diet and started to eat just potatoes, pasta and ready-made/fast food, which is definitely not holding up in the long run. This is why I want to make such a big deal about making sure you compensate for the meat/dairy you don't want to eat, especially since you described your friend as a bit on the thin side already.
oh, gosh no. her mom started buying turkey stuff ("Because turkeys are dumb and don't feel anything." but then she stopped that and went back to tofu and soy) and for the most part, she eats healthy. yeah, she would do a fast-food binge but it'd consist of a cheesy burrito or a meatless salad. and she does eat potatoes and i am pretty sure pasta, but she eats her veggies and takes her supplements.
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The most annoying thing is people, especially people you don't know that well, who can't/refuse to understand why you are a vegan/vegetarian and keep on asking questions like: "why?", "How can you not eat meat? I could not live without meat?" and "Doesn't this steak look sooo good? *flaps a steak around tour face*"
So the best thing I guess you can do for your fiend is to be supportive and try to understand why she would do it, even if it's nothing you would ever do. And while it sure is fun every now and then, don't make a grass-eater joke everytime you head for a snack
I wish you and your friend the best of luck if she goes trough with it.
zarf
i have picked on her a bit sometimes, but not all the time. and there have been times where i have forgotten and have offered her some meat or something. she's been a vegetarian fr years, im used to it, lol. vegan is going to be tough and i was just a bit concerned. thank you very much for the advice, Zarfen. ^_^|||Quote:
There's a huge difference between something like <cutting down>, and eliminating for the sake of Political Correct theology or some sort of self-identification belief. Personally, I'm arguing constantly with my spouse because she won't cut the massive amounts of meat/fat/sugar she serves the family. I'm the only one who's not overweight (ahem - make that "significantly") and her father is already diabetic.
omg, that's so mean!! i feel bad for lol'ing. >.> you can def eat healthier with meat. try whole grain pasta and grilled chicken and fresh veggies. mmm!
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Taco Bell
There's many more. Problem is, "natural" and "organic" can often be read as "expensive" and "shoddy".
lol, read a bit about that one yesterday!
and i was told there's really no difference between regular fruits and veggies and organic veggies. -.- could be wrong, but seriously, if you think about it, what is the difference? if there is, can someone please tell me? yeah, it is a bit ridiculous how expensive healthy food is. can anyone tell me why that is? because it takes longer to make as to where fast-food is five minutes tops?
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